When the audio is bad I often stop the video

In all honesty I can watch a video that is not perfect for the image quality, but if the audio is bad I’m out.
For years I’ve been using a Sennheiser wireless lovelier microphone. I always bring this to shows and use it during almost all videos and live streams, and it just sounds awesome and it never failed me. But it’s expensive, and for most starting creators it will be overkill, plus in all honesty you always have to put the wireless transmitter somewhere, and it’s not a super small device, plus over time I’ve had several cables replaced.

Over the years I’ve tested several alternatives, and although some are really nice they never really pulled me away from the Sennheiser.
On most cheaper mics my voice sounds like it’s coming from a can without any bass and harsh highs. But they do have something really nice and that’s size and connectivity.

We use different devices

The time that you shot video on a handycam, photos on your photo camera etc are over.
Nowadays we use a combination of capture devices, sometimes we shoot behind the scenes or B-roll with iPhones, Osmo Pocket or a Sony A7RIII. So when you buy an audio system you have to make sure it will work on all your devices, and as easy as possible.

I think we found the solution, and I love it.

Saramonic Blink 500+

The Saramonic Blink 500+ contains one receiver unit and two wireless microphones.
And that immediately makes it a very interesting set for creators, it now becomes super easy to quickly interview someone on location (or in the studio of course), the connection is made super fast, as soon as you take the microphone out of the case (which charges everything) it is almost immediately connected to the receiver. So no more taking the lavallière off and using it as a microphone to interview someone, just quickly give them their own mic, which also makes editing audio after the fact much faster and easier.

As mentioned before we need something that can be easily connected to all the devices we use, and the Saramonic doesn’t disappoint there.

In the box you will find different cables and connectors, and in all honesty I think they covered an impressive array of connections.
It works just as easy your iPhone as on a console and all without changing settings, just chose the right connector.

Always charged (well almost)

Nothing is more frustrating than empty batteries.
The microphones and receiver are stored in a nice case that is both sturdy and not too big, so it will fit easily in most camera bags or even your jacket pockets. The case keeps your devices charged until you take them out. So as long as you make sure the case it charged you know you will always have a full battery when you go live. Now the first time you think about a build in battery it might be a bit scary. With the Sennheiser I can easily switch batteries when they run out, but with a build in battery…. well when it’s empty that’s it. Luckily the battery time with up to 20 hours for the microphones and 16 hours for the receiver it will cover most if not all activities.

Going the distance

A few of the sets I tested where ok when I stayed close to the receiver, but several mics became a lot more noisy or flat sounding when I walked further away from the receiver, and most even lost connection when I went to the makeup area, which is in a different part of the studio. The Saramonic promises 150 meters, but to be honest I always take those numbers with a grain of salt, and mostly it means in the open field. I didn’t test that but I did walk to the makeup room and didn’t hear any difference in audio quality, and also no extra noise, which actually surprised me a bit, but in a positive way 😀

Where to put it?

We need to place the microphone somewhere of course. With the Sennheiser I’m using a small lavallière microphone, which is great because you hardly notice it, but the disadvantage is that you also have to put the sender somewhere, and that is in most cases my pocket. With the Saramonic the microphone is larger than my lavallière but it has a huge benefit. You can clip it on your clothing, but often it happens I’m wearing a sweater where it’s not really handy to clip a microphone on. And in that case the Saramonic has you covered too, if you don’t want to clip it you can also use the magnet.

Some key specs

In practice

Conclusion